Emma Okonji
Following the ongoing study on ‘Dig-Once Policy’ framework, embarked upon by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the commission has held a second stakeholders’ forum to review the proposed pricing methodology, assumptions, and outputs of the study.
The study seeks to to reduce the cost, duplication, and complexity of network deployment by encouraging coordinated civil works and shared infrastructure.
In practical terms, it seeks to ensure that when roads or public rights-of-way are opened for infrastructure works, telecoms infrastructure can be laid or accommodated in a coordinated manner, reducing repeated excavation and improving deployment efficiency.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ forum, the Director, Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at NCC, Mr. Ayuba Shuaibu, said valuable insights from the first stakeholders’ forum have helped to shape the direction of the study, adding that the commission has now reached a critical stage where the consultant will present the findings of the study, along with a proposed cost-based pricing methodology for shared duct access.
“The second stakeholders’ forum provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to interrogate the assumptions, models and outputs of the study. We expect that your feedback will help refine the proposed framework, ensuring that it is practical, implementable and reflective of the realities within the Nigerian telecommunications landscape,” Shuaibu said.
In his keynote address on the ‘Development of a Cost-Based Pricing Framework for Shared Duct Infrastructure Under Nigeria’s Dig Once Policy’ the Head of IT Systems and Infrastructure at Dimension Data, Mr. Akpevwe Egbelughe, said the future of every modern economy would increasingly depend on the availability of resilient, affordable, and accessible digital infrastructure.
According to him, beyond pricing, equal attention should be given to infrastructure visibility and access management.
“Across several jurisdictions, open-access infrastructure models have demonstrated that transparent access and cost-based pricing significantly reduce deployment costs while increasing broadband availability and market competition,” Egbelughe said